Page 10 - FCW, August 2019

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$487.5 is the ceiling for FDIC’s planned infrastructure support services contract
GSA, issues solicitation for e-marketplace for micropurchases
The General Services Administration released a draft solicitation for companies that could supply government buyers with an e-commerce platform to obtain everyday commercial products.
Congress established the e-commerce requirement in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, and since then, GSA has been working with stakeholders and the federal procurement community to develop plans for the platform.
According to the draft solicitation, multiple vendors
will be chosen to provide proof- of-concept platforms for a one- year term with four option years. The companies can sell their own products and those of other vendors through the platforms, which will feature general-purpose goods that users of government purchase cards can buy.
GSA estimates the market for such purchases at $6 billion a year and noted
in the solicitation that purchase card spending via existing online portals has grown from $135 million in fiscal 2014 to nearly $260 million in fiscal 2018. Transactions are limited to a $10,000 micropurchase threshold.
“An exciting opportunity lies ahead to create not only a modernized buying experience but also reduce the burden
the initial proof of concept, GSA will encourage robust competition through the implementation of multiple e-marketplace platforms.”
But unlike commercial marketplaces, the government’s e-commerce platforms must exclude vendors that Congress and federal agencies have suspended or debarred from government contracting.
For example, Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab cannot participate and neither can the Chinese telecommunications firms listed in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which include Huawei and ZTE.
Furthermore, contractors must share their plans for segregating government purchase data from the rest of their business. Additionally, vendors must supply
dashboards and the underlying data to provide a picture of purchasing activity. Under the terms of the solicitation, the data is owned by the government.
— Adam Mazmanian
one of the largest federal agencies — the Department of Homeland Security — has yet to issue its final request for proposals.
Gowen said the desire for a smooth transition is similar to the approach agencies took to Networx, EIS’ predecessor. Other vendors said agencies were performing relatively well in adapting to EIS and its possibilities.
“Everyone has their eye on the ball,” Smith said. “The appetite is there.”
— Mark Rockwell
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August 2019 FCW.COM
EIS vendors: Agencies aren’t rushing to modernize telecom services
The White House wants agencies to use the $50 billion, 10-year Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract to support IT modernization, but most customers are simply focused on making a smooth transition.
Diana Gowen, senior vice president at MetTel, said: “Agencies are saying, ‘Now we’ll do like for like,’ but they’re also asking \\\[vendors\\\] to tell them how to get to the next-generation tech.” MetTel is one of nine prime contractors on the General Services Administration’s governmentwide telecom contract.
Chris Smith, vice president of technology at AT&T Global Public Sector, said his company is seeing a mix of like-for-like and more transformational plans from agencies.
The Treasury Department, the Social Security Administration, GSA, the State Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs are among a growing number of agencies that have asked vendors for EIS proposals.
The Justice Department, NASA and the Railroad Retirement Board have awarded EIS contracts to carriers, but
for agency partners and suppliers alike,” said Laura Stanton, deputy assistant commissioner for category management in the Office of IT Category at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service. “During